ALGIERS -- On January 9, 2019, the Algerian Navy formally inducted two new Kilo class submarines into service.

The submarines, Ouarsenis (031) and Hoggar (032), were commissioned at the Mers El Kébir naval base in Oran, at a ceremony attended by Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaïd Salah.

Both submarines were built at Russia's Admiralty Shipyard. Algeria placed an order for the two in 2014, at a cost of over $1.2 billion, with an expected delivery date of 2018.

These latest Kilo class submarines join four others already in service with the Algerian Navy. Algeria ordered a pair of Project 877 Kilo submarines in the late 1980s, followed by an order for two of the updated Project 636 Kilo submarines ordered in the mid-2000s.

Project 636 Kilo submarines have a maximum submerged range of around 400 nautical miles and can reach depths of 300 meters. They have a maximum speed of 20 knots while submerged. The submarines are over 72 meters long and displace over 3,000 tons.